Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire was an all-metal construction, single-engine, single-seater fighter in service with the British Royal Air Force. The Spitfire (Prototype K5054) made its first flight on March 6, 1936, and mass production began in May of 1938. In August of the same year, the plane entered the service of the RAF. Various modifications served as fighters, interceptors, high-altitude fighters, fighter-bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. A total of 20,300 Spitfires of all types were built during the war, including two-seater trainers. Some Spitfires remained in service well into the 1950s. It would become one of the best fighters of World War II. Featuring generally powerful engines and large wings,versatile planes, well suited for turn-fighting and boom and zoom tactics and armed with decent firepower. =Spitfire Mk. I= ---- The Spitfire Mk. I is a rank 2 fighter in the British aircraft tree. The upfront cost of is 20,000 . It was equipped with type A wings and eight wing-mounted Colt-Browning Mk. II .303 (7.7mm) machine guns. From the 194th plane onward, a Rolls-Royce Merlin III engine was used instead of the original Merlin II. The first production Spitfire had a twin-blade wooden propeller. From the 74th plane onward, a three-bladed De Havilland 5/21 propeller was used instead. The De Havilland 5/20, also a three-bladed metal propeller, became standard by the end of 1939, and was used on the majority of Spitfires. The first Spitfires had a primitive targeting system consisting of a ringed sight, but by July of 1939 a more sophisticated collimator sight, the GM2 Mk. II, began to be used. Machines already released were refitted with the new sights when possible. With the advent of the Spitfire Mk. IB, with type B wings, in 1940, the older planes received the designation Mk. IA. Spitfire Mk. IBs differed from IAs by having 2 20mm cannons and 4 .303 in. machine guns instead of eight .303 in machine guns. this was an attempt to find a way to down german bombers quickly and effectively. When Mk. IBs flew their first combat sorties, the results were apalling- wings shattered from the blast of the cannons and many were shot down due to their sluggishness with the cannons wheight. in the Mk V the wings were thickened to bear the power from the blast of the cannons. The Spitfire Mk. IA fighters fought from the very first day of the war onward, and were particularly active in the Battle of Britain. They were in part responsible for the RAF's victory over the Luftwaffe. In 1941, they were replaced with the Spitfire Mk. V. A total of 1,567 Mk.I planes were produced. In-game, the aircraft shows off what the Spitfire's-and by extension the whole British tech-tree- is capable of. The small turn time of this aircraft allows it to easily out-manouver opponents. However, it's 8 machine guns lack an offensive punch, giving enemy team-mates the chance to quickly catch up and engage it. =Spitfire Mk. IIb= ---- The Spitfire Mk. II is a rank 2 fighter in the British line. The upfront cost of is 100,000 .The Mk. II was basically an earlier Mk I, built at Castle Bromwich, and powered by a 1,175-HP Merlin XII engine with a three-blade constant speed «Jablo» Rotol prop. It combined various improvements made to the Mk I in the first half of 1940, including an improved armour field mod which on the Mk II was installed at the factory. A total of 33 kg (72 lbs) or armour was installed, some of which went into an armoured seat, the rest being used to protect the glycol and fuel tanks. The Spitfire Mk II was used by the RAF in the early stages of the battle for control of the skies over Western Europe. The Mk.IIb is the first Spitifre to be equipped with cannons, and retains the low turn time of the MK.1, with the high offensive armament of later varients. The aircraft does still however lack the heavy armament of it's opponents, while retaining the similar weakness of the Mk.1 Skins Battle of Britain 1940: Shoot down 9000 players IIc- MB138 880 NAS HMS Argus 1942: Shoot down 100 players at locations-Oahu, Wake Island, Pacific Ocean, Midway, Guadcanal =Spitfire Mk. V= ---- Mk. Vb/Trop. The Spitfire Mk. Vb is a Tier 3 fighter in the British line. The upfront cost of is 120,000 . The Mk. V variant had a redesigned airframe and a more powerful V-12 engine, the Rolls-Royce Merlin 45, with a centrifugal type supercharger and better performance characteristics. The first prototype was released for testing in December of 1940. The engine change necessitated strengthening the engine housing and installing a more effective oil radiator with a circular rather than U-shaped housing. The last Mk.I and Mk.II planes produced used the Merlin 45. 154 such planes were produced. The first completely new Mk.V models were released in March of 1941. Some of the fighters were made for tropical climate conditions: an extra Vokes filter was installed on the carburetor air intake, under the engine. It was covered by special «lips» which helped prevent excessive dust intake. This variant was named the Spitfire Mk.VB/Trop (Type 352) and was used in Mediterranean areas, especially North Africa and Malta. The armament of the Mk.VB was equivalent to that of the Mk.IB: two 20mm British-Hispano Mk.II cannons and four 7.7mm Colt-Browning Mk.II machine guns in the outer wing panels of the «B» models. The first planes using the new engine entered combat in February of 1941. The improved power and performance characteristics of the Spitfire Mk.V made it a competitive match for the new German Messerschmidt Bf.109F fighter. when Mk Vs came up against the FW 190A, they were slaughtered. When a FW 190 landed at Pembery, it was tested against the Spitfire V. The Spitfire was inferior to it in everything but a turn. As a result, the Spitfire IX was introduced, with many updates including a Merlin 60. This gave the RAF the upper hand it dearly needed. The Mk.V's primary mission was raids on the continent. Fighters conducted raids both on their own and as support for bomber squadrons. A total of 3,911 Spitfire Mk.VB fighters were produced. The Spitfire Mk.VB/Trop is quite similar to the MK IIb, with the same cannon and machine gun armament of the IIb. There is very little difference to the Mk IIb, and as such should be played similar. Spitfire Mk. VC The Spitfire Mk. Vc is a Tier 3 fighter in the British Line. The upfront cost of is 600,000 . A variant of the Mk. V, this new type C was equipped with a «universal» wing and new armament. The Mk. VC could be fitted with four 20mm British-Hispano Mk.II cannons (what was used in the F.20 series), or it could carry two 20mm Hispano cannons and four 7.7mm Colt-Browning Mk.II machine guns. The cannons in the type C wings had a tape supply and so could carry up to 120 rounds per gun, unlike the type B wings, which were limited to 60 rounds. In addition, the Mk.VC had a new chassis, with its wheels relocated further forward. Production of the Mk.VC variant began in October of 1941. The first Mk.VC fighters were equipped with a Rolls Royce Merlin 45 or 46. But when the new German FW.190 fighter began causing trouble at the beginning of 1942, outmaneuvering the Spitfire at low and medium altitudes, the Spitfire began to be fitted with new series 50 engines, which were reliable performers under low-load conditions. The Mk.VC was then fitted with Merlin 50, 50A, 55, and 56 engines. To improve performance characteristics at low and medium altitudes, some of these engines were fitted with a reduced vane compressor to allow maximum power to be reached at lower altitudes. Engines designed this way included the 45M, 50M, and 55M. To reduce drag and moment of inertia on the aircraft's longitudinal axis, the wingspan was reduced, and the elliptical wingtips were redesigned to be nearly rectangular. Fighters designed with low-altitude combat in mind were designated Spitfire LFMk.Vs (Low Flight). Planes optimized for mid-altitude combat were designated Spitfire FMk.Vs (Flight). Planes fitted with the Merlin 46, 50A, or 56 were sometimes called Spitfire HFMk.Vs (High Flight) and had an increased wingspan with elongated, elliptical wingtips. Mk.VC Spitfires fought in all theaters in which the RAF was active from 1941 to 1944. The fighter's finest hour was the Battle of Malta. In the summer of 1942, the Spitfire Mk.V was outdated and began to suffer losses from the planes of the Luftwaffe. From 1943 to 1944, it was gradually replaced by more modern variants. despite that, Mk Vs were flying over the D-day beaches and helping the allied crawl up Italy. A total of about 6,500 Spitfire Mk.V fighters were produced, of which 2,467 were Mk.VCs. The Vc is the most heavily armed spitfire in-game, with 4 20mm Hispano cannons, and is similar to the premium aircraft Mustang Mk.1A, yet with a quicker turn time and smaller profile. =Spitfire Mk IX= ---- The Spitfire Mk. IX is a Tier 3 fighter in the British Line. The upfront cost of is 250,000 . The Spitfire Mk. IX is also the Americans as a Tier 4 Premium Aircraft for 6900 . While the Mk VI variant was being designed, an earlier Mk VC was equipped with a new more powerful engine, creating the Mk. IX. It was hoped that this would quickly improve the plane's performance and result in an interim variant. The The first two prototypes were powered by the Merlin 61 engine and took to the air early in 1942. Modifications to the prototypes improved the service ceiling by almost 10,000 feet, and the top speed by nearly 70 mph. A total of 5,656 Mk IX were produced and 262 more Mk Vs were converted to Mk IX. Intended as a transitional stop-gap measure for the Mk VII and Mk VIII, the variant remained in production until the end of the war, ultimately becoming the most mass-produced Spitfire version. This mark was also used as a fighter-bomber and a reconnaissance plane. Skins Flt Lt Eddie Edwards 92nd Squadron Marcianise Italy 1944: Shoot down 100 players Lt Col Vasily Matseivich 26th GIAP Leningrad 1945: Shoot down 100 players Prince Emanuel Galitzine High Altitude Flight RAF Northolt: Shoot down 150 players Unicolour high altitude camouflage pattern Britain 1943; Shoot down 180 players EN398 WC Johnnie Johnson 114th FW RAF Ford 1944: Shoot down 230 players MK392 WC Johnnie Johnson 114th FW RAF Ford 1944: Shoot down 320 players These skins also apply to the LFIX Spitfire =Spitfire Mk XVI= ---- The Spitfire Mk. XVI is a Tier 4 fighter in the British line. The upfront cost of is 260,000 . The Mk XVI variant was very similar to the Mk IX, however it was powered by a US-manufactured Packard Merlin 266 engine. A total of 1,054 Spitfires of this variant were produced. All production variants had the distinguishing feature of low-altitude clipped wings, improving it's roll rate at the cost of higher wing loading (lower turn rate and climb rate). It however has a horsepower advantage over the other Spitfires with a 1700hp.; late production variants were also equipped with underwing cannons. Skins Category:Premium Aircraft Non-standard bi-colour camouflage pattern Britain 1945: Shoot down 180 players 74th Squadron RAF Belgium 1945: Shoot down 230 players Category:Aircraft Category:Britain Category:Fighter Category:Planes Category:Light Fighter